The Day I Tried to Live, and Other Mind Riots

I don’t really know what to say, even a few days later, only that I’m completely disheartened by the passing of Chris Cornell.

He was one of my favorite artists, and I loved every facet of his career – from Soundgarden to Audioslave to his solo work and his foray into Temple of the Dog.

I was looking forward to seeing Soundgarden again sometime soon (and maybe somehow find a way to see Temple of the Dog since I missed them last year!).

I saw him perform live seven times, and below I rank those shows.

And throw in a little playlist for good measure.

The world sucks a little more now.

 

Chris Cornell Concerts Attended – Ranked

7) 5/4/2013 – Soundgarden (DC Chili Cookoff Festival @ RFK Parking Lot, Washington, DC) – It was fine, but a parking lot on a rainy day isn’t the best situation!

6) 1/18/2013 – Soundgarden (DAR Constitution Hall, Washington, DC) – Seemed like a strange venue for them, but it was still enjoyable.

5) 7/12/2011 – Soundgarden (Patriot Center, Virginia) – Excellent show.

4) 10/26/2005 – Audioslave (Patriot Center, Virginia) – Bad ass show, damn!

3) 12/11/1996 – Soundgarden (Mercer Arena, Seattle, Washington) – Bittersweet, as the first time I saw them live was also their farewell tour. They disbanded only a few months later.

2) 8/8/2010 – Soundgarden (Lollapalooza @ Grant Park, Chicago) Their reunion show! All the anticipation of 14 years away! I flew to Chicago for Lollapalooza just to see them back together (and while I was there, I caught a couple baseball games and a few other acts like Phoenix and Metric).

1) 4/5/2009 – Solo (9:30 Club, Washington, DC) – He played songs from every facet of his career; Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog and his solo material. It was 2-1/2 hours of awesomeness.

 

Playlist

1. “Mailman” – Soundgarden
2. “Loud Love” – Soundgarden
3. “Gasoline” – Audioslave
4. “Doesn’t Remind Me” – Chris Cornell
5. “Mind Riot” Soundgarden
6. “My Wave” – Soundgarden
7. “The Day I Tried to Live” – Soundgarden
8. “Can’t Change Me” – Chris Cornell
9. “Dead Wishes” – Chris Cornell
10. “Fell On Black Days” – Soundgarden
11. “Like a Stone” – Audioslave
12. “Wooden Jesus” – Temple of the Dog
13. “Outshined” – Soundgarden
14. “Say Hello 2 Heaven” – Temple of the Dog
15. “Room A Thousand Years Wide” – Soundgarden
16. “Nearly Forgot My Broken Heart” – Chris Cornell